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CL 1, Duluth Marshall 0

Sarah Lasiuk's free-kick goal just a few minutes into the second half was all the 11th-seeded Wildcats needed to upset the sixth-seeded Duluth Marshall Hilltoppers. The CL soccer girls beat Marshall 1-0 in the first round of the section 7A playoffs Thursday, October 11 at Duluth.

After a scoreless first half, the Wildcats made the most of their opportunity early in the second half. Lasiuk bombed a shot from 25 yards out. The ball went over the goalkeeper's head, through her fingertips and just under the crossbar to give the Wildcats the lead.

"It was just a great shot," said Wildcat head coach Brett Kjos. "It gave us a good lift. We had been tight and nervous and not playing our best before Sarah's goal."

The Wildcats appeared to score again, just ten minutes later. Cassie Trandahl crossed the ball from the right corner off the crossbar. Amanda Houle rushed in toward the far post and one-timed the ball into the net. But, the sideline referee made an offsides call and the goal was disallowed.

The Hilltoppers poured it on the last 20 minutes of the game. They had six corner kicks and took shot after shot, but goalkeeper Lisa Schommer kept making big saves and the Wildcat defense kept clearing the ball away. When the final buzzer sounded, the Wildcats had claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win and advanced to the quarterfinals of the section playoffs.

"That last 20 minutes was nerve-wracking," said Kjos. "It was fun to go up north and beat a higher-seeded team."

Cloquet 3, Chisago Lakes 0

The third-seeded Cloquet Lumberjacks, last year's section champion, provided the next challenge for the Wildcats. The Lumberjacks won 3-0 Saturday, October 13 in Duluth, ending the Wildcats' season.

Cloquet got all the scoring needed 15 minutes into the first half. They played a long ball from their own zone over the Wildcat defense, ran it down and shot toward the far post. The ball grazed the fingers of lunging Wildcat goalkeeper Lisa Schommer and went just inside the post to give the Lumberjacks a 1-0 lead.

The Lumberjacks stretched their lead to 2-0 15 minutes later, scoring off a scramble in front of the Wildcat net after a corner kick. They scored their final goal midway through the second half. On a corner kick, a Lumberjack player lofted a ball into the center of the Wildcat penalty area. A tall Lumberjack forward jumped and headed it over a Wildcat defender and into the net.

"They're really skilled and speedy," said Wildcat head coach Brett Kjos. "Today, they were better than us. We had our chances - we missed a wide-open net, hit the crossbar and sailed a free kick just over the crossbar. They put their goals in and we didn't. They're a physical team, and they used their bodies to their advantage."

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